The Max Verstappen show continued with aplomb at Silverstone as he cruised to a sixth consecutive win. There were highs for others but plenty to be frustrated about for some. Here are our picks for this week’s edition of Winners and Losers.
Winner: Max Verstappen
Silverstone witnessed yet another Max Verstappen masterclass, the Red Bull driver reclaiming the lead from Lando Norris after wheelspin off pole before cruising to an eighth win in 10 races.
His tally of 255 puts him 99 points clear of Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez and would be enough to lead the constructors’ championship on his own.
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It was also his sixth win on the bounce – becoming the fifth driver to achieve the feat after Alberto Ascari, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg – and 11th successive podium appearance. Currently, the Dutchman is unstoppable.
Losers: Alpine
This was a painful event for Alpine, who lacked performance all weekend and looked like the seventh-fastest team on paper.
Esteban Ocon retired with a hydraulic leak while Pierre Gasly was forced out with a damaged suspension after contact with Lance Stroll.
It meant Alpine ended a run of five races in the points and saw them drop behind McLaren into sixth in the constructors’ championship.
Winner: Lando Norris
Lando Norris delivered one of the greatest drives of his career at Silverstone, the Briton leading his home race briefly after a cracking launch from second on the grid before crossing the line to take second.
This was his best result on home soil in F1 and earned him the Driver of the Day accolade for the second consecutive week with the highest share of the vote (45%) since Fernando Alonso secured 53% in the opening race in Bahrain.
It was also McLaren’s first podium at Silverstone since Lewis Hamilton finished second in the 2010 British Grand Prix, and Norris’s first of the 2023 campaign.
Losers: AlphaTauri
AlphaTauri were full of hope that Silverstone would be a step forward as they introduced their biggest upgrade of the season.
However, they lost both cars in Q1 for the third race in succession and their performance wasn’t strong enough in the race to fight up towards the points.
More upgrades are coming in Hungary – and they will be welcomed as the team are currently locked to the bottom of the constructors’ championship.
Winner: Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri won’t feel like a winner right now after just missing out on his maiden F1 podium, having lost track position by pitting shortly before a Safety Car.
However, when he reflects on what he achieved at Silverstone – third on the grid, and a career-best fourth place finish in only his 10th Grand Prix – he can be very satisfied.
His fourth added to Norris’s second meant McLaren scored more points in this race (30) than they have in the rest of the season so far combined, and pushed them up to fifth in the constructors’ championship.
Losers: Ferrari
Ferrari had high hopes of challenging the McLarens for the podium, but a combination of losing track position because of the Safety Car and not having enough fresh tyres meant they limped across the line ninth and 10th.
It meant they lost yet more ground to Mercedes and Aston Martin in the fight for second in the constructors’ championship and sees them lose momentum after an encouraging couple of races in Canada and Austria.
This was the first time Charles Leclerc has finished outside the top four at Silverstone in his last six visits, while Sainz’s 10th place ensured he has scored in all but one of the 10 races so far this season (though he has yet to grace the podium).
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
Considering how much Lewis Hamilton has struggled to get to grips with a hard-to-handle Mercedes, a podium on home soil is a great result.
That’s his fourth podium of the season and 14th at Silverstone, moving him to within 16 points of Fernando Alonso in the battle for third in the drivers’ championship.
Loser: Sergio Perez
This was another disappointing weekend for Sergio Perez, the Mexican failing to make Q1 for the third time this year and extending his run of five races without a Q3 appearance.
He fought back from 15th to score points in sixth, but it was anticipated he could get to the podium given how quick the car is.
He’s still second in the drivers’ standings, but his championship hopes get slimmer as each weekend passes – while Alonso is only 19 points behind in third.
Winner: Alex Albon
Alex Albon is on an impressive run of form, the Briton following up a third successive Q3 appearance with a second points score in three events.
It was Williams’ best result in a home race since 2015, when Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas finished fourth and fifth respectively.
And a third score of the season moved Williams up to seventh in the constructors’ championship, ahead of Haas, Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri.
Loser: George Russell
Had he not pitted before the Safety Car, George Russell would have been in great shape to score a podium in front of his home fans.
Instead, he ended up fifth, two places behind his team mate Hamilton – although he could at least take solace in scoring points at home for the first time in his career.
By: Lawrence Barretto (F1 Correspondent & Presenter)
Originally published at Formula1
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